Lay down collar support



April 21, 1959 c. A. CALDER LAY DOWN COLLAR SUPPORT Filed Nov. 7. 1957 FIG. I.

FIG. 4.

INVENTOR. CAESAR A. (At 0E2 ATTORIVEX United States Patent Oflice Patented Apr. 21, 1959 LAY DOWN COLLAR SUPPORT Caesar A. Calder, Caldwell, NJ.

Application November 7, 1957, Serial No. 695,177

4 Claims. (Cl. 223-83) This invention relates to collar supports for shirts with lay down collars.

In Patent 2,248,849 there is disclosed a collar support for stand-up collar as processed by commercial laundries. Such a collar support is not suitable for shirts with lay down collars. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a collar support which can be used satisfactorily with laundered lay down collars.

When shirt collars are processed on standard laundry collar presses, they are most generally damp and have a tendency to fold over at the front collar portions giving a wilted, wrinkled appearance. When starch is added to the collar, this condition not only gives discomfort to the wearer but also detracts from his appearance. The collar support embodying the present invention prevents such fold over of the collar fronts by permitting them to set into a die cut recess, snug up against a metal tab, so that the inclined edges of the support contact well up under the inner folds of the collar. Locking the support in position by means of the metal tab helps the collar to dry in its proper shape.

An object of this invention is to provide a collar support of the character described provided with points to engage under the folds of the collar against the front of the shirt to bring the front neck portions together, to shape the collar and hold the collar in shaped condition.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a highly improved collar support of the character described, that shall require no trimming, that shall be extremely economical to manufacture, and which shall have rounded outer upper corners to prevent snagging when inserting the support into the collar.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a collar support of the character described which shall be easy to apply, which shall keep laundered lay down collars of shirts smooth, and which shall yet be practical and eflicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described and of which the scope of invention will be indicated in the following claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and accompanying the same;

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a shirt with lay down collar provided with a collar support in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional side view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the collar support; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, designates a collar support embodying the invention. In the drawing 11 designates a shirt provided with a lay down collar 12. The collar 12 comprises a collar band 13 from which extends a fold-over collar portion 14. The collar 12 extends from a shirt body 15 having front overlapping shirt portions 15a and 15b. The inner collar band 13 has overlapping collar portions 13a, 13b. A button 16 stitched to the collar band 130: is buttoned to a button hole in collar band portion 13b.

In lay down collars the collar 12 is substantially flattened down against the shirt. The collar support 10 is for the purpose of preventing fold-over of the collar and to retain the collar smooth and flat.

Each collar support 10 comprises a die-cut piece of cardboard 20 having a central apex portion 21, and upwardly inclined similar, symmetrically disposed arms 22. The arms 22 have parallel lower and upper edges 22a and 22b. At the bottom of the apex 21 is a tab or handle 23, of somewhat bulbous shape.

One tab 23 of one collar support forms the notch 24 of the next adjacent collar support. The notch 24 being bulbous in shape forms points 25. The points 25 engage the inner surfaces of the fold of the collar adjacent the front of the collar as shown in Fig. l. The upper corners of arms 22 are rounded as at 29. However, each of the rounded corners 29 of the collar support forms a round notch 29a of the next adjacent collar support as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The rounded notches 29a terminate in points 28. Both the rounded corners 29 and corners 29a extend to the outer parallel edges 26 of the piece of cardboard 20.

In the drawing the collar support is shown in substantially actual size. The width of the collar support is about 4 /2 inches. This is for dress shirts. For sport shirts the width from edge 26 across to edge 26 is 5 inches. The vertical height of the cardboard at any point is 1% inches for dress shirts and 2 inches for sport shirts. The upper edges 22b of the cardboard piece 20 engages the inside of the fold between the collar band 13 and the fold-over collar portion 14 as shown in Fig. l of the drawing to keep the collar smooth and to prevent fold-over due to dampness. The handle or tab 23 also covers up poorly laundered spots on the shirt.

It will be noted that the collar support when used is not curved but remains in a flat plane. It will be noted furthermore, that a plurality of member 20 may be made from the elongated strip of cardboard without necessity for trimming. No part of the cardboard between adjacent pieces 20 is wasted or has to be trimmed. The

rounded corners 21 prevent snagging upon insertion of the collar support. It will be noted that the roller support of Patent 2,248,849 is considerably wider than the collar support herein and also that it must be curved for insertion into a standup collar. Furthermore, in said patent the angle of the inclined arms is considerably wider than the angle of the collar support herein. In the present collar support the angle between the edges 22b is about The angle could vary from 65 for sport shirts to from 100 to for dress shirts.

Fixed to the central portion 21 of member 20 is a flexible metal strip 30. The strip 30 has a lower portion 31 overlying the central portion of member 20. Said lower portion 31 is fixed to the cardboard sheet 20 by pressing prongs 32 into the cardboard. Extending up wardly from portion 31 is a portion 33 which passes through the notch 24 and thereabove said portion 33 is folded over the upper edges of the overlapping collar band as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing to hold the collar support in place with the collar.

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure United States Letters Patent is:

1. A support for a lay down collar of a shirt, comprising a flat cardboard sheet of V-shape having an apex portion and upwardly and outwardly inclined arms, said sheet being formed with a notch at the upper portion of its apex, said notch having a constricted neck at the mouth of the potch and being enlarged in opposite directions inwardly of the neck, thereby providing spaced collar gripping portions projecting inwardly toward each other at the constricted neck of said notch.

2. The combination of claim 1, in combination with a flexible tab attached to the apex of said sheet and having a portion projecting upwardly beyond said notch and bisecting said notch.

3. The combination of claim 2, said inwardly projecting spaced portions being pointed.

4. The combination of claim 3, the upper edges of said arms being parallel to the lower edges thereof, the outer 4 edges of said arms being parallel to one another, and the angle between said arms being 100 to 110, and the width of the sheet between the parallel end edges of said arms being between 4 and 5 inches, and said sheet having a tab at the lower end of said apex similar to the shape of said notch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,777,814 Vita Oct. 7, 1930 1,832,339 Wilke Nov. 17, 1931 1,876,814 Wilson Sept, 13, 1932 2,248,849 Calder et a1 July 8, 1941 

